1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of providing drinking water for a dog, especially when traveling with the dog in a vehicle such as a car, truck, SUV, camper, etc. The present inventor Gary Ross is the inventor of U.S. Pat. No. 8,807,083 issued on Aug. 19, 2014 for “PORTABLE WATER TRAVEL MUG FOR DOGS”.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is very common for people to travel with a dog in a vehicle such as a car. Sometimes the dog is being taken to a veterinarian, but many times the dog is a constant companion and therefore must ride in the car with the owner. Dogs, just as humans, must have access to water, especially in summer heat.
Beginning at least as early as the 1980s, every car has a place to retain a drinking vessel, a drink holder for coffee, or a water bottle. Most vehicles have side-by-side or front and back drink vessel holders. A vehicle commonly has only one occupant who is the driver and therefore, there is an extra drink holder adjacent the driver's seat.
Most dogs will travel in the front seat of a car if they are only traveling with the owner. The owner can have a cup of coffee, tea or a bottle of water in a drink holder. However, there is no convenient retainer to retain drinking water for the dog.
One solution in the prior art is a travel water bowl which is placed on the floor of the vehicle. However, if the water placed in the travel bowl is not entirely consumed, normal driving will cause the water to splash and cause water to splash onto the car's carpet. This is not very practical.
Alternatively, the driver can stop the vehicle, pour water into a bowl, and after the dog has finished drinking, throw out the unfinished water. This may be illegal in some places and certainly is very inconvenient.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,807,083 for “PORTABLE WATER TRAVEL MUG FOR DOGS” by the present inventor essentially consists of the water mug having an exterior protective shell with removable disks to enable a user to insert the user's thumb and another finger such as a forefinger on opposite sides of the opening leading directly to the mug or bottle to enable the user to squeeze the bottle so that water is squeezed out of the bottle and into a dog water dish as described in the application to be issued as the above-referenced patent. The present invention is an improvement over that innovation removing the outer shell and the necessity to remove protective disks from the outer shell to gain access to the mug in order to be able to squeeze water from the mug into a drinking cup.
There is a significant need for a convenient and practical way to carry water to enable a dog to have a drink of water while a person is driving a car or after the car is pulled over for a stop and provide a means to safely store any water not consumed by the dog.